SJUSD, Bring back the Student Clubs!
SJUSD, Bring back the Student Clubs!
The Issue
Why do high school students need clubs?
Benefits
- provide an affinity group to make and cultivate friendships, can be especially helpful for people to bond over interests, especially those that are introverted
- provide a signal to colleges about what they are interested in, and allows students to take actions in causes they are passionate about
- provide a unique path to learn and engage in leadership positions
- provide a accessible way to explore and discover interests and new hobbies
- provide a structure to start your own club
Colleges look for extracurricular activities to get more insight about the applicant and also gives a competitive edge on their applications.
Why has SJUSD paused club activities?
Last year, the Pioneer high school students found out about the club Fellowship of Christian Athletes(FCA)’ “Statement of Faith and a Sexual Purity Statement” on the Student Leader Application. This action sparked protests among the students as they felt the statement excluded groups of people on campus, like LGBTQIA+ people who are also Christians.
After an outcry from members of the Pioneer community over the purity statement, which many believe violates the San Jose Unified School District’s discrimination policy, SJUSD officials and the Climate Committee decided to revoke the FCA’s club status. However, members would still be allowed to participate in Club Rush, gather as students, hold rallies, and represent their club.
FCA sued the school district for revoking the club status of FCA based on the Equal Access Act. A federal court ruled that this is an act of religious discrimination for refusing to certify FCA as a club.
SJUSD is updating its regulations which has been going for months. If they allow FCA, it will violate their discrimination policy by excluding LGBT+ students. Otherwise, they would be causing religious discrimination. Meanwhile, they have paused all the club activities.
You can find more info about this here:
What do we need?
Pausing the club activities put our kids who want to pursue other interests at a severe disadvantage. This is also a drawback for these kids as club activities play a vital role in college admission and developing their leadership skills.
It’s been half a year and the incoming 9th graders are still waiting to sign up for clubs. All school clubs cannot get approval by school/SJUSD and no students can kick off/start any club activities like meetings, etc. We request that SJUSD promptly update its regulations and unpause the club activities by finding a way for all of the students to participate in club activities.
From
Parents of High and Middle School Students from SJUSD
615
The Issue
Why do high school students need clubs?
Benefits
- provide an affinity group to make and cultivate friendships, can be especially helpful for people to bond over interests, especially those that are introverted
- provide a signal to colleges about what they are interested in, and allows students to take actions in causes they are passionate about
- provide a unique path to learn and engage in leadership positions
- provide a accessible way to explore and discover interests and new hobbies
- provide a structure to start your own club
Colleges look for extracurricular activities to get more insight about the applicant and also gives a competitive edge on their applications.
Why has SJUSD paused club activities?
Last year, the Pioneer high school students found out about the club Fellowship of Christian Athletes(FCA)’ “Statement of Faith and a Sexual Purity Statement” on the Student Leader Application. This action sparked protests among the students as they felt the statement excluded groups of people on campus, like LGBTQIA+ people who are also Christians.
After an outcry from members of the Pioneer community over the purity statement, which many believe violates the San Jose Unified School District’s discrimination policy, SJUSD officials and the Climate Committee decided to revoke the FCA’s club status. However, members would still be allowed to participate in Club Rush, gather as students, hold rallies, and represent their club.
FCA sued the school district for revoking the club status of FCA based on the Equal Access Act. A federal court ruled that this is an act of religious discrimination for refusing to certify FCA as a club.
SJUSD is updating its regulations which has been going for months. If they allow FCA, it will violate their discrimination policy by excluding LGBT+ students. Otherwise, they would be causing religious discrimination. Meanwhile, they have paused all the club activities.
You can find more info about this here:
What do we need?
Pausing the club activities put our kids who want to pursue other interests at a severe disadvantage. This is also a drawback for these kids as club activities play a vital role in college admission and developing their leadership skills.
It’s been half a year and the incoming 9th graders are still waiting to sign up for clubs. All school clubs cannot get approval by school/SJUSD and no students can kick off/start any club activities like meetings, etc. We request that SJUSD promptly update its regulations and unpause the club activities by finding a way for all of the students to participate in club activities.
From
Parents of High and Middle School Students from SJUSD
615
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Petition created on November 6, 2022